Cleveland 911 dispatcher’s handling of Berry phone call under review

When Amanda Berry escaped from a decade of captivity on Monday night, her first act was to call 911 and beg for help from authorities. But the actions of the 911 call-taker, who hung up on Ms. Berry before police arrived, are now under investigation.

"We have noted some concerns which will be the focus of our review, including the call-taker's failure to remain on the line with Ms. Berry until police arrived on scene," Martin L. Flask, director of Cleveland's Department of Public Safety, said in a statement. "Please be assured that this matter will be investigated, and if necessary, appropriate corrective action taken."

Mr. Flask pointed out that despite the questionable actions of the call-taker, police arrived on the scene within two minutes.

The 911 investigation is little more than a subplot in what is surely one of the most stunning stories of survival in American history. Ms. Berry — who gave birth to a daughter while in captivity — and two other women, Georgina "Gina" DeJesus and Michelle Knight, are now reunited with their families after more than a decade of imprisonment allegedly at the hands of three brothers.

Those men — Ariel, Onil and Pedro Castro — are expected to be charged in the case sometime on Wednesday.